Buckle Cap for a Seat Belt Buckle and Method of Mounting Same

ABSTRACT

What is described is a buckle cap for a belt buckle having two interconnected half-shells ( 10, 20 ) and connecting units which connect both half-shells ( 10, 20 ) to one another. Each connecting unit comprises at least one hole in each half-shell ( 10, 20 ) and a connecting pin ( 30 ) which is ribbed at least in certain sections, wherein one section of the connecting pin ( 30 ) is situated in the hole of the first connecting unit ( 10 ) and a second section of the connecting pin ( 30 ) is situated in the hole of the second half-shell ( 20 ). In order to achieve an easy mounting capability the hole in the first half-shell ( 10 ) is a through-hole ( 12 ) through which the connecting pin ( 30, 30′ ) extends completely, and the connecting pin ( 30, 30′ ) has a head ( 34, 34′ ) which is thickened with respect to the sections situated in the holes, said head adjoining the section of the connecting pin ( 30 ) which extends through the through-hole ( 12 ) and being situated outside the through-hole ( 12 ).

The invention relates to a buckle cap for a belt buckle according to the preamble of Claim 1 as well as a method for mounting it according to Claim 9.

Almost any belt buckle for the safety belt system of a motor vehicle has a buckle cap consisting of two half-shells, into which the mechanism of the belt buckle is placed and held movable against the release button. The release button in this case can be held exclusively by the mechanism or in part by the buckle cap.

There are several known possibilities of interconnecting both half-shells of the buckle cap.

Firstly, the known prior art is to screw both buckle caps together, which, however, is a work step that can only be carried out manually and takes up a relatively long time. Furthermore, a final check as to whether all screws have been correctly tightened can only be carried out at great expense.

It has also been known to interconnect both buckle caps by welding, for example by means of ultrasound welding or friction welding, which, however, requires a relatively complex welding machine.

Finally, it has also been known to interconnect both half-shells by means of snap connections, which, however, has the disadvantage that both buckle caps as such must have a relatively complicated shape, for which complex and expensive injection molding tools are required.

A buckle cap for a belt buckle has been known from the generic DE 10 2008 030 048 A1, in which both half-shells of the buckle cap are interconnected via ribbed connecting pins. These ribbed connecting pins have two sections pointing away from one another, both sections having ribs extending in the opposite direction. Each buckle cap has one hole per connecting pin whose diameter in the unmounted state is slightly smaller than the maximum diameter of the ribbed sections. The pins are pressed into the holes upon mounting where they are held owing to the ribs. This eliminates the need for the difficult to automate screw-in step; the disadvantage, however, is that, at least during the final mounting step, the respective sections of the connecting pins have to be inserted into the holes of the half-shell at the same time and in parallel. On the one hand, this requires large mounting forces, and on the other hand, it is virtually impossible to use different connection types in a buckle cap.

On this basis, the object of the present invention is to improve a generic buckle cap such that the disadvantages described above are overcome.

This object is attained by a buckle cap having the characteristics of Claim 1 as well as by means of a method for mounting it according to Claim 9.

The buckle cap according to the present invention comprises a connecting pin which is ribbed at least in certain sections and extends into holes in both half-shells. In this case, the hole of the first half-shell is a through-hole which is completely penetrated by the connecting pin. The connecting pin has a thickened head which is thickened with respect to the sections situated in the holes and is situated outside the through-hole. This means that the connecting pin basically looks like a screw with the difference that it has ribs instead of a thread. It is also mounted similarly to a screwed buckle cap. At first, both buckle caps are brought together in its later end position, and subsequently the at least one connecting pin is first guided into the through-hole reaching the hole of the second half-shell, this obviously not occurring by rotation as on screwing but by pressing in. It follows from this type of mounting that no parallel guidance of both half-shells is necessary on mounting, from which it further follows that the type of connection according to the present invention can also be “mixed” with other types of connections. Such types of connections can be in particular snap-in connections or purely positive form locking

Preferred embodiments of the invention will become apparent from the subclaims as well as from the exemplary embodiment below which is described in more detail with reference to the figures. The figures show:

FIG. 1: An exploded view of a buckle cap,

FIG. 2: The buckle cap from FIG. 1 in the mounted state and

FIG. 3: A cross-sectional view through a connecting unit of the buckle cap shown in FIG. 2.

The described buckle cap serves as the outer cover of a belt buckle, a known locking mechanism being placed in the buckle cap. The locking mechanism and its corresponding unlocking button are not shown; such a mechanism is known from prior art.

The buckle cap consists of two half-shells 10, 20 and two connecting pins 30, 30′. The connecting pins 30, 30′ correspond to connecting units, each of which consists of a connecting pin 30, 30′, a through-hole 12, 12′ in the first half-shell 10, and a blind hole 22, 22′ in the second half-shell 20. There are further connecting units, each of which consists of a lug 16, 16′, 16″ on the first half-shell 10, and an edge 24 of the second half-shell 20 pointing backward. Both half-shells, 10, 20 respectively extend along a longitudinal direction L. Relative to the longitudinal direction L, the lugs 16, 16′, 16″ are arranged on the first front edge of the half-shell 10. In the longitudinal direction L, the second half-shell 20 has a closed area 23 on the front end, its upper back end having the edge 24 pointing backward. The through-holes 12, 12′ are situated at the back end of the first half-shell 10 in the longitudinal direction L; likewise, the blind holes 22, 22′ are situated at the back end of the second half-shell 20. The through-holes 12, 12′ align themselves with each depressed region 14, 14′ of the first half-shell 10.

Each connecting pin 30, 30′ has a pin section 32, 32′ and a head 34, 34′. The pin sections 32, 32′ have ribs in the form of a saw tooth profile, the flanks 36 of the saw tooth profile pointing away from the head (s. also FIG. 3 in this respect).

FIG. 3 shows the exact configuration of a connecting unit in the mounted state. All that has been said in this regard is analogously applicable to the other connecting unit. The pin section 32 extends along the entire length of the through-hole 12 into the blind hole 22, and the head 34 is situated outside the through-hole 12 on the depressed region 14. As is apparent from FIG. 3, the diameter D1 of the through-hole 22 of the first half-shell 10 is larger than the diameter D2 of the blind hole 22 of the second half-shell 20. In this case, the diameter D1 of the through-hole 12 is slightly larger than the maximum diameter D3 of the pin section 32, the diameter D2 of the blind hole 22 is somewhat smaller than the maximum diameter D3 of the pin section 32. The diameter D4 of the head 34 is larger than the diameter D1 of the blind hole 22.

Mounting is as follows: At first, the first half-shell 10 is arranged on the second half-shell 20, the last step of this arrangement being a longitudinal displacement of the first half-shell in the direction L so that the lugs 16, 16′, 16″ come to be situated below the edge 24 pointing downward. The placement of the first half-shell 10 on the second half-shell 20 is thus completed. The connecting pins 30, 30′ are now each inserted into a through-hole 12, 12′ and pressed into the blind hole 22, 22′ with a considerable force, for example 850 N, until the head 34, 34′ of the connecting pin rests on the surface of the depressed region 14, 14′. In this final state, a first section 32 a, 32 a′ of the pin section 32, 32′ is situated in the through-hole 12, 12′, and a second section 32 b, 32 b′ of the pin section 32, 32′ is situated in the blind hole 22, 22′. Mounting is now completed.

The advantages of the buckle cap according to the present invention are immediately apparent from the described mounting method. On the one hand, it is possible to press in the connecting pins 30, 30′ consecutively, as a result of which a parallel guidance of several connecting pins or of one of both half-shells is not necessary during the pressing process, which results in a reduced wear on the necessary equipment. It is further possible to combine the connection method of the pressed-in connecting pins with other connection methods—in this case a positive form locking of the lugs with the edge pointing backward. For example, these other connection methods can also comprise a snap-in method or the like.

Both half-shells preferentially consist of plastic, and the connecting pins of metal, in particular of a light metal like aluminum. The connecting pins can be manufactured by means of an impact extrusion process.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   10 First Half-Shell -   12,12′ Through-Hole -   14,14′ Depressed Region -   16,16′,16″ Lug -   20 Second Half-Shell -   22, 22′ Blind Hole -   23 Closed Area -   24 Backward Pointing Edge -   30, 30′ Connecting Pin -   32, 32′ Pin Section -   32 a, 32 a′ First Section -   32 b, 32 b′ Second Section -   34, 34′ Head -   36 Flank -   L Longitudinal Direction 

1. A buckle cap for a seat belt buckle having first and second interconnected half-shells (10, 20) and at least one connecting unit which connects the first and the second half-shells (10, 20) to one another, comprising the at least one connecting unit having one hole in each of the first and the second half-shells (10, 20) and a connecting pin (30, 30′) which has ribs in at least certain sections thereof, one section of the connecting pin (30, 30′) being situated in the hole of the first half-shell (10) and a second section of the connecting pin (30, 30′) being situated in the hole of the second half-shell (20), wherein the hole in the first half-shell (10) is a through-hole (12, 12′) that the connecting pin (30, 30′) extends completely through and the connecting pin (30, 30′) has a head (34, 34′) which is thickened with respect to the connecting pin sections situated in the hole, the head adjoining the one section of the connecting pin (30, 30′) which extends through the first half-shell through-hole (12, 12′) and being situated outside the first half-shell through-hole (12, 12′).
 2. The buckle cap according to claim 1, further comprising in that the through-hole (12, 12′) in the first half-shell (10) has a larger diameter than the hole in the second half-shell.
 3. The buckle cap according to claim 2, further comprising in that the ribs are configured as a saw tooth profile.
 4. The buckle cap according to claim 3, further comprising in that the flat flanks (36) of the saw tooth profile point away from the head.
 5. A buckle cap according to claim 1 further comprising in that there is a depressed region (14, 14′) adjacent to the first half-shell through-hole (12, 12′) into which the head (34, 34′) is placed.
 6. A buckle cap according to claim 1 further comprising in that the connecting pin (30, 30′) consists of metal.
 7. The buckle cap according to claim 6, further comprising in that the metal is a light metal.
 8. A buckle cap according to claim 6, further comprising in that the connecting pin (30, 30′) is manufactured by means of an impact extrusion process.
 9. A buckle cap according to claim 1 further comprising in that the head (34, 34′) is covered by a cover element.
 10. A method for mounting a seat belt buckle cap according comprising the following steps: providing first and second interconnected half-shells (10, 20), providing at least one connecting unit having one hole in each of the first and the second half-shell (10, 20), providing a connecting in (30, 30′) which is at least ribbed in certain sections thereof, one section of the connecting in (30, 30′) being situated in the hole of the first first half-shell (10) and a second section of the connecting in (30, 30′) being situated in the hole of the second half-shell (20), providing the hole in the first half-shell (10) as a through-hole (12, 12′), that the connecting in (30, 30′) extends completely through and that the connecting in (30, 30′) has a head (34, 34′) which is thickened with respect to the sections situated in the holes, the head adjoining the section of the connecting in (30, 30′) which extends through the first half-shell through-hole (12, 12′) and being situated outside the first half-shell through-hole (12, 12′), arranging both the first and the second half-shells (10, 20) on top of one another such that they take up their final position relative to one another, and inserting the at least one connecting pin (30, 30′) into the through-hole (12, 12′) of the first half-shell (10) in a first direction, and pressing the connecting pin (30, 30′) into the hole of the second half-shell (20) by further moving the connecting pin (30, 30′) in the first direction.
 11. The buckle cap according to claim 3 further comprising the portion of the connecting pin forming the sawtooth profile defines a pin section having maximum diameter of the pin section, and wherein the maximum diameter of the pins section is slightly less than the diameter of the through hole in the first half-shell, and is slightly greater than the diameter of the hole in the second half-shell. 